How to Address Someone in German Properly

You is not always you, especially when youre speaking a foreign language.   One thing you need to learn quickly is how to correctly use you in German. Modern English is the only Indo-European language that has just one form of you. In German there are three: Du,  the Informal Address This form is only for those with whom youre on familiar or intimate terms, such as family, close friends, children, pets, and in prayer. In Germany, the word friend isnt used as liberally as in America, or at least it doesnt carry quite the same meaning. Ein  Freund/eine Freundin is used more to denote what we call here a close friend, whereas the word ein Bekannter/eine Bekannte is the preferred term used for casual friends and acquaintances. Ihr, Informal Plural Ihr is the plural form of du. Its the equivalent of yall in the Southern United States. For example: Wo seid ihr? (Where are you guys?)   Sie, the Formal Address This polite form implies a certain formality between people and takes into account social considerations. Sie is used for those people we address as Herr, Frau and with other formal titles. Usually, its used for older people, professionals and shop clerks. It might also be a good strategy to address co-workers as  Sie at first  until they offer you the du. Its better to call someone  Sie  and have them correct you with  du than to assume you can use the formal address and offend someone.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ Duzen and Siezen The verb that describes using Sie to address someone is siezen. To utilize du with someone is duzen.  Its best to use the Sie if  you are not sure which to use.   More About You in German Other important points about  Sie,  du and  ihr  are: The formal Sie  is always capitalized. There are no exceptions to this rule. The du  and ihr  are usually written in lower case, but some older Germans capitalize them. That was the rule about 20 years ago, before they had the Rechtschreibreform.  Sie remains written as Sie whether you are using it in the plural or singular sense. For example, if you are formally addressing one or two Germans, you wont see a difference in writing:Woher kommen Sie? (Where are you from, sir/madam?)Woher kommen Sie?(Where are you from, sirs/madams?)Sie (you, formal)  takes the same verb form as sie (they),  which is why in conjugation tables, you will find both words at the bottom together. Chart of You in German In a nutshell: Singular Plural English meaning du trinkst ihr trinkt you or y'all are drinking Sie trinken Sie trinken you (formal) or you (plural) are drinking Common Problem: There Are Four Sies  and Four Ihrs Many German-language students have trouble initially with ihr. This could be because there are two ihrs. There are also multiple versions of sie, which can be complicated.  Take a look at the following examples:   Hey, kommt ihr heute Abend? (Are you guys coming tonight?)Ist das nicht ihr neuer Freund? (Isnt that her new friend?)Entschuldigen Sie. Ist das Ihr Auto vor meiner Ausfahrt?  (Excuse me, sir/madam, is that your car in front of my driveway?) Note that the Ihr  is capitalized as it is formal.Entschuldigen Sie. Ist das  Ihr  Auto vor meiner Ausfahrt? (Excuse me, sirs/madams, is that your car in front of my driveway?) Here are three examples for sie/Sie: Woher kommen Sie? ( Where are you from, sir/madam?)Woher kommen Sie?  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹(Where are you from, sirs/madams?)Woher kommt sie?  (Where is she from?)Woher kommen sie?  (Where are they from?) Du, Ihr, and Sie Declensions Keep in mind that like with all other pronouns, du, ihr and Sie will also have genitive, dative and accusative forms that you must memorize.